


Wait For Me

by mflaherty87



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Multi-Era, Multi-universe, Past Lives, Reincarnation, Soul-Searching, Taang - Freeform, aang as orpheus, azula/tylee/mai as the fates, katara as persephone, sokka as hermes, toph as eurydice, zuko as hades, zutara sprinkles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28284399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mflaherty87/pseuds/mflaherty87
Summary: Aang and Toph's spirits have connected over multiple lifetimes. Avatar Kuruk contacts Aang while in the North Pole to warn him about the past repeating itself.This plays into the Kuruk/Ummi theory, and also pulls in the Hadestown plot with both Eurydice/Orpheus and Hades/Persephone.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong, Eurydice/Orpheus (Hadestown), Hades/Persephone (Hadestown), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Kuruk/Ummi (Avatar)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 55





	1. Dream or Memory

_The cave is pitch black, and she cannot see anything in front or behind herself. Yet, she knows she is following a man. The cave is narrow and there’s no place to go but up. The woman doesn’t know why, but she feels anxious about the journey._

_She hears herself speaking to the man in front of her, “Orpheus? Are you listening? I’m right here, and I will be till the end.” Her voice soothing, trying to reach the man called Orpheus. “The coldest night and the coldest winter comes right before the spring.”_

_The woman continues in her stride behind this man who she loves. Whatever the circumstance is, she tries to reassure him that she is still with him. Orpheus never turns around or responds to her, and she doesn’t understand why he won’t just turn around to see her._

_The two persevere in this unknown quest in what seems like hours in silence. The ground tilts in a slight incline as the pair walk up the winding path._

_Eventually, a small light peeks through at the horizon of the incline, and the woman makes out the silhouette of her beloved in front of her. Sight being something the dreamer has never experienced before causes an overwhelming stimulation to her brain, as she tries to process the shapes appearing in front of her._

_She hears herself call out again, “Orpheus, you are not alone, I’m right behind you. And I have been all along” the sight of the light and Orpheus’s silhouette fills her heart with hope. They are near the end of this anxiety-ridden trip._

_The couple continues to walk toward the blinding light. As the light gets larger and brighter, details of the earth become visible. Her heart pumps in anticipation, longing to be where the plethora of unrecognizable colors and shapes are. She continues reassuring the man walking ahead of her, “The darkest hour of the darkest night comes right before-”_

_The woman gasps as the man suddenly pivots around to look at her, breathing out, “It’s you…” For some reason, her heart drops at the sight of Orpheus’s face and terror replaces the feeling of hope in her heart. She takes this moment to memorize his face, his wavy dark hair, scared brown eyes, strong jawline, and tanned skin before she feels a tug on her body._

_Her body is pulled downward, back the way she just came. Orpheus’s body shrinking by the second until darkness engulfs her. The last thing she hears is Orpheus saying the name Eurydice._

Toph jerks up from her sleep, gasping as she wakes up on a flying Appa’s saddle. The earthbender opens her eyes to the usual darkness she experiences daily. She feels the cool wind blow against her face, then detects an abnormality in the wind’s movement signaling Aang’s presence next to her.

“You okay?” The airbender asks with a concerned look on his face. “It sounds like you had a nightmare,” he continues.

Toph takes a moment to calm herself down before answering, “I’m good, Twinkles. Just had a strange dream,” in a gruff voice.

The Avatar nods, “What was it about? You seemed a bit spooked a moment before you woke up.”

The earthbender shrugs, “I’m not really sure,” Toph says quietly, “Usually my dreams are similar to what normal life is like for me, and it started that way. But this time, I think I saw things like the silhouette of the man walking in front of me, and what I can assume are colors.” She pauses, trying to remember the dream. “It was strange because I definitely wasn’t myself because I could see. Well… I was in the dark for most of the dream, but I didn’t have my seismic sense to see. I kept calling out to this guy, but he wouldn’t turn around.” Toph frowned, “But when he did, I didn’t feel relieved, I felt scared. Then, I think I was sucked back into darkness, and then I woke up. What do you think that dream was about?”

A lot has changed since the end of the hundred year war. Toph and Aang have been traveling together for the past thirteen years, so over time, it became common for the two to talk about their dreams and try to interpret them.

Aang hums, deep in thought. This is the first time Toph has had a dream where she could see. “One of the monks told me that dreams can actually be memories from your past lives, which would explain why you didn’t know who you were in your dream. But it sounds ominous, almost like a warning, but I’m not sure what your dream is warning you about.”

Toph shivers as the cool breeze decreases in temperature. Aang grabs a blanket and throws it over his earthbending master to keep her warm.

The two are traveling to the North Pole to attend the yearly Peace Summit, much to Toph’s dislike. They’re a couple of hours away from the frozen land and are excited to see the rest of Team Avatar. Toph thinks about what Aang said about dreams.

“Do you ever have dreams as your past lives?” she asks, immediately realizing how stupid a question she just asked. Of course, he has dreams about his past lives, he’s literally the Avatar and can talk to them whenever he wants.

Aang replies, “I mean, I mostly just have my past lives connect with me, but I don’t really have dreams as my past lives. The last time I dreamed about my past life was a few weeks after coming out of the iceberg. And it was just Roku trying to lead me to his island.”

“Oh,” the earthbender replies. “Do you think Sweetness and his royal moodiness have finally professed their obvious love for each other, yet?” changing the subject.

The airbender chuckles, “Who knows, they’ve been playing hide and seek with their emotions for years now, but this could be the year!”

“Spirits, I hope so. I don’t know if I can take another summit of their erratic heartbeats every time one of them enters the room, or when they catch each other changing,” Toph grumbles.

“Well, at least you won’t be able to see anything with your feet covered in your snow boots.”

“Ugh,” Toph moans, “Don’t remind me of the death trap we’ll be staying on for the next week. You better not leave me anywhere,” she continues as she punches her companion’s arm.

“I won’t dream of it, T,” Aang says as he rubs his arm. “I’ll be sure to ask Arnook if we can use the Spirit Oasis while we’re visiting. He probably won’t allow you to earthbend there since it’s sacred and all, but it’s the only place in the North Pole that has earth and it’s also the warmest place. So, at least you’ll be able to see!”

The two continue to chat as the sun goes down and they near the Northern Water Tribe, Toph’s strange dream forgotten.

*


	2. The Call

Aang and Toph reach their destination about an hour after the sun disappears, with Katara and Sokka waiting to greet the youngest members of Team Avatar.

Sokka waves to the pair, a seven-year-old clinging to his leg, and a three-year-old resting on his hip while Katara cradles a baby. Sokka and Suki had gotten married eight years ago and had three kids, and it seems that the two standing in front of Toph and Aang, are in charge of taking care of them currently.

Aang hops off of Appa to greet the Water Tribe siblings in a big embrace but stops short realizing Toph can’t see anything, and therefore, cannot dismount the flying bison. He jumps back up on Appa’s back, grabs a bundled up Toph, and hops back down to the siblings. The four embraces with Toph squished in the middle. 

“Alright you ninnies, that’s enough hugging for the trip,” Toph says, trying to squirm out of Aang’s hold and the clutches of the Water Tribe siblings and their offspring. 

The group simply laughs as Katara and Sokka let go and begin to walk toward the center of the city with the kids in tow. Aang, however, refuses to let Toph out of his arms and follows the two.

“Twinkle Toes let me down! I can walk around myself,” Toph shrieks.

“Oh no Toph, you’re wearing shoes now. I can’t risk having you wander off and falling into the many canals in this city. You’ll freeze to death! So, until we get to our sleeping quarters, you’ll just have to deal with the fact that I’m going to carry you there.”

Toph grumbles the whole way up, occasionally attempting to escape when Katara, Sokka, or one of Sokka’s kids distracts him with conversation. Every attempt fails, of course, but she has to at least try.

The group arrives at the ice building where everyone for the Peace Summit is staying. Aang lowers Toph to the ground to walk in the hotel but keeps a tight grip on her hand, so he can guide her through the place, and she can begin to memorize the route to their room. 

Sokka and the kids split from the group after seeing the Kyoshi warriors in the distance. 

Katara leads the two to their room. “So, your room is here, Toph, and Aang yours is right across from hers. Zuko and I have the rooms next to both of your rooms, and then Sokka and Suki are in the big room at the end of the hall since they have a huge family now.” 

The two look at Katara confused about the room situation. They aren’t together, but they have always shared a room when they travel because it cost less, and it was easier for Aang to wake Toph up in the mornings. Plus, they are comfortable sleeping in close quarters, not that either will ever admit it.

“I thought Toph and I would be sharing a room…” Aang says, trying not to sound upset at the separate rooms.

Katara laughs, “Aang, the Northern Water Tribe doesn’t allow unmarried couples to sleep in the same room together. You should know that.”

“Wait a second, Sugar Queen. Baldy and I aren’t a couple. We’re just traveling companions, so I don’t see the issue with us sharing a room.” Aang nods his head vigorously in agreement with the earthbender’s reasoning.

The waterbender sighs, “Look you two, even if you aren’t together, rules are that only married couples can stay in a room together.” 

The blind earthbender huffs, “Can’t we just say he’s my seeing eye Avatar or something? I need someone to guide me through this ridiculous block of ice.”

Katara looks between the pair suspiciously. Toph is never one to admit she needs help, especially from a man. And Aang is fighting hard to stay in the same room together. She smirks, “You two are a couple, aren’t you!? Because I cannot understand the reason why you two are fighting so hard to stay in the same room unless you two are together.”

Aang stutters, unable to form a coherent sentence while Toph’s cheeks flush a light pink that is barely noticeable. 

Eager to wipe the smirk Toph could practically hear off Katara’s face and get the attention off of her and Aang, she quicks says, “Are you and Lord Hotpants together? Because it seems awfully convenient that you know this rule and that the two of you are staying across from one another.”

Katara scoffs at the accusation the earthbender said. As the two continue to argue, Aang notices a man wearing traditional Northern Water Tribe apparel and a bear pelt on his head and recognizes him as Avatar Kuruk. For some reason, his past life stares at Toph in almost a loving way before noticing Aang's gaze. He motions for Aang to follow him. 

Quickly looking back at the two bickering women, he decides to follow his past life, leaving the two female benders to figure out the living situations on their own.

Kuruk’s figure runs through the city, waiting at each corner to make sure Aang is able to follow. Aang maneuvers through the crowd, careful not to run into anyone while keeping an eye on his past life’s retreating form.

The two eventually end up in front of the Spirit Oasis door, and the two avatars greet each other with a respectful bow. 

“Avatar Kuruk,” Aang greets, “Is there something wrong? The last time I was contacted by one of my past lives, Yangchen warned me about General Old Iron.”

“Hello Avatar Aang,” Kuruk starts, “Indeed, I am contacting you for a reason. I can’t stay for long, but there’s some restlessness in the spirit world. I’m worried that my past is coming back to haunt you. If you can access the Spirit Oasis, I can help you understand our past to prepare for what I fear is lurking.”

Aang frowns. “Your past coming back to haunt me? What do you mean?”

Kuruk’s figure starts to disappear. His voice fades like his body, “Go to Arnook and ask to access the Oasis. There we can discuss what you need to know. Bring your earthbending companion along. She may be the key to all this.”  
\--  
After a long ceremonial dinner in honor of the Summit, all but the Avatar and his earthbending master make their way back to the hotel.

The Avatar drags the blind earthbender towards Chief Arnook in order to get access to the Spirit Oasis. Kuruk’s ominous warning distracted Aang throughout the whole dinner, so he is now determined to get permission to learn more. 

“Hello, Chief Arnook,” Aang greets, “This was a wonderful meal tonight. This is my earthbending master, Toph Bei Fong.”

“Ahh greetings, Avatar Aang. And nice to meet you, Miss Bei Fong,” Arnook says, gripping Aang’s forearm then bowing toward Toph, “I’m happy you enjoyed our feast. It’ll be the first of many this week. What can I do for the two of you?”

“Well, as you may know, Toph is blind. But she can see through earthbending. Unfortunately, due to the cold and lack of earth, she is rendered sightless throughout the entirety of the trip. I told Toph about the Spirit Oasis where Tui and La are, and well, sir… We were wondering if you would allow us to spend some time there every day during the summit. This would give Toph some time to be able to see for a bit, and it would allow me to meditate in a sacred place.”

Arnook looks between the two of them, “Well, of course, Avatar Aang! You can use the Spirit Oasis.” He looks towards Toph, “Miss Bei Fong, you are also allowed to go as long as you promise to not earthbend there. It is the most spiritual space in the entire North Pole.”

“Sure,” Toph muses. “I’ll just be grateful that I won’t need someone to guide me everywhere during that time. Thank you, sir, for letting us use the space.”

The powerful benders depart from the chief of the Northern Water Tribe and begin their trek towards the hotel, holding hands.

“So, Toph, where did we land on our sleeping arrangements?” Aang asks.

“Well, after much debate with Sugar Queen, a few of the elders, and the hotel manager, I was able to create a case that I needed you to be in the same room as me because I’m helpless in this death trap everyone else seems to enjoy. They then tried sticking me with Katara, but I explained that you already knew how to help me and that I could only room with you.” Toph grins, “Your stuff was moved to my room and a bigger bed was brought in to accommodate your fat ass taking up the bed.”  
*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't feel like this chapter was spectacular, but it's more to propel the story forward.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this installment! The next chapter will most likely be longer in length than the first two, but will probably take a while to write.


	3. Ummi

After the first day of the Summit concludes, Aang guides Toph to the small circular wood door that leads to the Spirit Oasis. He grabs Toph’s hand and pulls her through the small door, keeping his other hand on her head so she doesn’t bump it on the door.

The icy cave gets warmer as the pair walk through the tunnel, taking the left bridge toward the landmass. Upon arriving, Aang notices the space hasn’t changed since he was there during the siege.

Toph smiles as she feels the warmth of her surroundings. She pulls off a glove, touching the grass now beneath her feet. The earthbender immediately yanks her boots off and sheds her winter clothing and lays down on the ground, pure bliss evident in her expression.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you my sweet earth!” Toph bellows.

Aang grins at the sight of his closest friend’s happiness and says, “Make sure to not bend the earth here. This is the most spiritual place in the North Pole.”

The blind earthbender shakes her hand flippantly, “Don’t worry Twinkles, I’ll just enjoy the grass between my feet, the warmth, and the fact that I can see. What are you going to do?” the petite woman propping herself up on her elbows waiting for his response.

“Well, Avatar Kuruk contacted me actually, and he said the best way to contact him was in here. So, I’ll be meditating for a bit to see what he needs to talk about.”

The Avatar sits in a lotus pose, concentrating on the spiritual energy. Kuruk’s spirit appears across from Aang, mirroring his seated position.

“Avatar Aang,” Kuruk greets, “I’m glad you came.” His eyes move to Toph’s figure as the corner of his lips pull up into a gentle smile. “I see you brought your earthbender. I don’t think we’ll need her to do anything, but her presence will help with what I’m going to show you.”

Aang glances over to Toph rolling around in the grass with a huge smile on her face, and back to Kuruk’s adoring gaze. “What do you need to tell me?” he asks, deciding to ignore his curiosity about his past life’s interest in Toph.

The past Avatar’s eyes snap back to meet Aang’s in concentration. After a few seconds pass, he nods his head like he figured out what to do. “Have you ever heard about Ummi?” Kuruk asks.

Aang shakes his head, “She was supposed to be your wife, right?” He doesn’t know why Kuruk is bringing her up but decides not to question him.

The Water Tribe Avatar smiles sadly, “Yes, she was. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. I fell in love with her almost immediately. Let’s cross over to the spirit world. There I’ll be able to show you our story and what happened.”

The Air Nomad nods, “Give me a second to let Toph know that I’ll be there for a bit, so she doesn’t worry about me. I swear she can feel when my spirit leaves my body.”

Aang focuses his mind back on his physical surroundings before opening his eyes. Toph is laying in the same place he saw her before communicating with Kuruk.

“Toph,” he calls out. She tilts her head towards the sound of her friend’s voice.

“Yeah, Twinkle Toes?”

“Avatar Kuruk contacted me. He wants to show me something in the spirit world. Will you be okay while I’m there?”

The earthbender lazily rolls onto her side so her whole body now faces him, “Yep,” she says popping the ‘p’. “I’ll be enjoying the warmth and feeling the earth between my feet,” she grins.

Aang nods, “Alright, Sifu, I’ll be back soon.” The Avatar watches her for a moment, a feeling of complete content washing over him, before returning to his lotus pose and closes his eyes.

\--

_Aang opens his eyes to the sight of a Fire Nation wedding. The ceremony must have just finished because the bride and groom kissed. Aang looks around and spots a slightly younger Kuruk in the crowd with a pained expression on his face. The earthbender and airbender sitting on either side of him both get up with the water Avatar and follow the precession of the wedding party._

_Kuruk’s spirit appears next to Aang. “Those were my companions.” He first points at the earthbender, “That is Jianzhu. He was a powerful bender. While I had older masters, Jianzhu was the first person who encouraged me to continue to work on the elements in new ways. We were very close friends, though Kyoshi has a very different opinion of him.”_

_The water Avatar pointed at the airbender next, “That’s Kelsang. He grew up in the Southern Air Temple like you. He was a very skilled airbender though honestly, I thought he was a stick in the mud until he and Jianzhu connected over my humiliation. I know Kyoshi felt close to him, too.”_

_The two appear next to the newly-weds. Kuruk points at the bride, “And that’s Hei-Ran. I thought she was the one for me. I was infatuated with her throughout our travels._

_“That’s actually how Jianzhu and Kelsang became friends… through my many failed attempts of courting Hei-Ran.”_

_The scene changes to a different place, one of the hallways of the Southern Air Temple. Kuruk is seen running after Kelsang waving a scroll in his hand._

_“Kelsang, just listen to the poem I wrote! I think Hei-Ran will really like it.” Kuruk says as the tall airbender takes long strides away from the Avatar._

_The two reach an empty room that Aang doesn’t recognize. Only then does the airbender stop and wait for Kuruk. He turns around frustrated, “Fine!” Kelsang says waving his long arms, “read me the poem.”_

_The water Avatar clears his throat before reading his masterpiece._

_“I’ve got two knives that are cast in bronze / they pierce all the way to the soul / they draw you in with the promise of sin / like the moth to the flame to the coal._

_“I’ve got hair like the starless night / it sticks to my lips when I smile / I’ll wind it with yours and we’ll drift off course / in a ship touching hearts all the while._

_“For the way I walk is a lantern lit / that leads you into the night / I’ll hold you close and love you the most / until our end is in sight.” [1]_

_Kuruk bows before the monk, expecting him to be impressed. Instead, his friend glares down at him, furious. Kelsang berates Kuruk for writing such a poem. Hei-Ran is the happiest he’s ever seen her and Kuruk will not go to their old Fire Nation companion to win her over. The airbender makes the Avatar burn the poem and walks off._

_Aang turns toward Kuruk. “You were going to break up your friend’s marriage because you were in love with her?!”_

_Kuruk scratches his beard in embarrassment, “Yes… at the time I thought she was the love of my life and I couldn’t have her stay with the wrong man. Looking back on it, it does look pretty bad, doesn’t it?”_

_Aang nods his head, “Not that I don’t enjoy watching your life, but I thought you were going to show me some memories of you and Ummi…”_

_“I’m getting there, kid. I’m showing you this because I’m building up to our meeting. We’re going there next. Plus, this is to show you that other Avatars make mistakes and can become infatuated with the first female companion they meet. Much like yourself with that Water Tribe girl.” The past Avatar nudges the present one wiggling his eyebrows._

_Aang rolls his eyes, “Man, I’m never going to live that down, am I?” He thinks back on his pre-pubescent days when he used to pine after Katara. He never thought his past lives would comment on that. Aang is pulled out of his thoughts as he and Kuruk are transported to the Northern Water Tribe capital, Agna Qel’a._

_The canals are filled with boats and lined with lanterns. The night sky is filled with stars, but there’s no sign of the moon. Kuruk begins to talk as they walk through his memory._

_“So, after being reprimanded by Kelsang, I traveled back home to the Northern Water Tribe for the New Moon Festival in order to forget about Hei-Ran and her husband - and may find a nice Water Tribe girl to court for a bit._

_“Now you have to understand, my companions and I grew apart after my first journey to the spirit world. Yangchen had neglected the spirits, making them angry and dark, so I began to battle them, which took a toll on me physically and emotionally. After the harsh meeting with Kelsang, I needed to go somewhere else, alone and preferably somewhere the spirits couldn’t bother me.”_

_The two come upon Kuruk bumping into a beautiful woman. Aang immediately recognizes her face as the face Koh the Face Stealer showed him in his youth. This must be Ummi. The two Avatars watch Kuruk smoothly apologize to the woman and escort her to a neatly crafted boat that belongs to Kuruk. The Avatar waterbends them to the center of the celebration while getting to know each other._

_“I’ve never seen you around here before,” Kuruk starts, “But I guess it’s been a while since I’ve been here. I’ve been traveling around the world with Avatar duties.” Aang sees he’s trying his hardest to woo the woman in his boat but is failing miserably._

_Ummi looks at Kuruk unimpressed, “Well, I’m from the Southern Water Tribe, so that would explain why you’ve never seen me before. Your Avatar duties never seem to take you South, do they?” she responds in a smart manner._

_Kuruk turns to Aang looking almost as lovestruck as his younger self looks, “She was the only woman who saw right through me and my casual boasts – besides Hei-Ran – I was instantly attracted to her. She made me work harder for a date than I’ve ever had to work before. Ii made me want her even more.”_

_They see Kuruk light the candle inside the lantern with firebending as Ummi holds it. The pair meet each other’s gaze and smile before pushing their lantern into the sky. The night sky is now lit by everyone’s lanterns dancing in the wind._

_Aang’s surroundings change again to another location in Agna Qel’a. Kuruk and Ummi are walking down the snowy sidewalk laughing together about some joke. Ummi then reaches up to Kuruk’s face and grabs his cheek, pulling on it. For a split second, Ummi and Kuruk’s figures transform into his and Toph’s. Aang blinks in disbelief only to see the couple is in fact still Kuruk and Ummi. Toph is the only one that tugs on Aang's cheek like that. Strange. The Air Avatar shakes his head as Kuruk begins to speak again._

_“Ummi was the only one who ever pinched my cheek like that. She found it funny while I mostly found it annoying yet endearing. In a few seconds, you’ll see her finally saying yes to going on a date with me.”_

_Their surroundings change more rapidly now, showing their first kiss together under a full moon, Kuruk visiting Ummi in the South Pole, meeting her family, and numerous dates. The environment finally stopped with them on the same boat Kuruk and Ummi sat on the night they met, eight months earlier._

_The lone boat floats in the canal as the happy couple lay next to each other staring up at the stars. Kuruk’s arm cradled Ummi’s waist while his other was pointing at different constellations as he told her stories about the array of star patterns._

_“…He lost her forever because he was foolish enough to turn around before he was supposed to. His lover got sucked back down into the Fog of Lost Souls, or as some people call it, the Underworld.” Kuruk finishes his story that sounds familiar to Aang for some reason. The water Avatar turns towards the woman he instantly fell in love with, fumbling around in his pocket for something._

_He then sits up, pulling Ummi off her back, too. “Ummi, I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but these last eight months have been amazing. You have made me feel complete like I’ve found you after losing you for so long. Would you do me the honor of being my wife and lifelong companion?” Kuruk asks as he pulls out an intricately designed betrothal necklace._

_Ummi jumps into Kuruk’s arms screaming “yes” to him. The boat nearly flips with the newly engaged couple, but Kuruk steadies the boat with his waterbending before they could get soaked in the icy water._

_Spirit Kuruk turns towards Aang, “This ended up being the happiest day of my life before it all went tumbling down.” His eyes darkened as the setting changed one last time._

_They are back in the Spirit Oasis, but instead of seeing Toph laying on the grass, Aang sees the younger Kuruk in the same warrior clothing the spirit beside him is wearing and Ummi in an elegant pale blue wedding dress. An elder stands where Aang meditated back during the Siege on the North. Kuruk is standing calf-deep in the pond with Tui and La circling each other on the opposite side as Ummi walks toward him with a big smile on her face._

_Right before Ummi steps into the pond, the Kuruk standing next to Aang turns his head away, knowing the horrors of what happens next._

_As Ummi’s foot makes contact with the water, she is tugged underneath by an invisible force. Kuruk dives under in order to save the love of his life. She’s rapidly being forced deeper into the depths of the water, too quick for Kuruk to catch. The last thing he sees before she disappears is her arm reaching out to him, fear in her eyes._

_Aang watches the scene in horror. He whips his head towards Kuruk, connecting the dots. “Koh took her, didn’t he?”_

_The past Avatar nods his head, not daring to meet his reincarnation’s eyes. In a quiet, defeated voice he says, “I never figured out why he took her. Maybe it was because I defeated a lot of the dark spirits…” Kuruk pauses, “By the time I found Koh, he had already stolen her face. I tried to get her back, but he said he couldn’t part with such a pretty face. I vowed to kill him for it. He took the person that was most dear to me.”_

The two Avatars materialize back in the Spirit Oasis where’s Aang’s body is meditating, both seated in a lotus position, again. Aang looks at Kuruk, “I met Koh during the war. He showed me Ummi’s face, but I didn’t understand who she was at the time. He must have thought I could remember that far back.”

Kuruk smiles bitterly, “Of course he did that. He wanted to flaunt what he took from me.”

They sit in silence as Aang thinks about the memories Kuruk shared. He reflects back on why Kuruk wanted him here, but Aang isn’t sure why these memories were shared.

“So, maybe I missed something, but I’m still a little confused on why you wanted to show me yours and Ummi’s memories…” Aang trails off.

Kuruk ruffles his beard, trying to think of the best way of explaining what he suspects is happening.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a while to update! Life has been crazy and hasn't given me as much time to write as I wanted to, but I hope you liked the chapter!
> 
> I really wanted to expand Kuruk and Ummi's relationship past her just being taken by Koh. I didn't add too much detail because I didn't want to chapter to be super long... But if you want me to write little drabbles about their dates and love life pre-Koh, maybe I'll start a separate thing where you can read that? idk we'll see if I have time, that might be a summer project.
> 
> The next chapter is going to get deep into spirits, souls, and reincarnation.
> 
> [1] The poem is taken from The Rise of Kyoshi. You can find it in "Honest Work".


	4. The Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously:
> 
> “So, maybe I missed something, but I’m still a little confused on why you wanted to show me yours and Ummi’s memories…” Aang trails off.
> 
> Kuruk ruffles his beard, trying to think of the best way of explaining what he suspects is happening.

Kuruk nods his head, figuring out what to say next. In all honestly, he hadn’t thought about how he was going to explain everything he needed to, to its entirety. So, he was winging it. 

“Let’s talk about reincarnation a bit,” Kuruk begins. “I know the monks taught you about how the Avatar is reincarnated into the next one, and that everyone actually reincarnates. Though, other people don’t always reincarnate as humans again.”

Aang nods his head, not sure why they are talking about reincarnation, but lets his past self continue.

“Did you notice anything about my relationship with Ummi? Like did you see yourself and your earthbender in any of the memories I showed you?” the water Avatar asks, abruptly changing the topic.

Aang’s eyebrows wrinkle together, “Yeah, actually... I thought I was hallucinating, but for a split second I thought I saw you and Ummi’s figure become Toph and me.” He pauses trying to remember what was happening in that memory. “Ummi reached up and tugged on your cheek to tease you. For a second instead of looking at the two of you, I was looking at myself and Toph. She’s the only person who pulls my cheek like that, too.” Aang trails off.

Kuruk waits for the air Avatar to continue on, but when he doesn’t, the older man speaks again. “Interesting. I was hoping something like this would happen!” he excitedly says. The water tribesman continues, “Everyone has a soul. All the Avatar’s share the same soul but have different bodies. We are reincarnated over and over again. You saw your earthbender-”

“-Toph” Aang interjects, tired of Kuruk addressing her only as his earthbender like he owns her.

“Right, Toph,” Kuruk corrects himself. “You saw Toph in the place of Ummi’s body and yours in the place of mine. Do you know what this means??”

The airbender frowns, not quite getting it. He watches Kuruk, hoping for a hint, but guesses once he realizes his past self won’t tell him. “Ummm… I’m not sure. I’m guessing Toph and Ummi are somehow related?” Aang asks showing a half-grin to his predecessor.

“Uhh… Sort of…” Kuruk responds. Kuruk knew that Aang had to figure this out on his own, and he couldn’t tell the present Avatar the answer or it would bring disaster. 

Kuruk roams through his thoughts to figure out how Aang could understand what he’s trying to say without saying it. “Let’s see, when you saw this switch, did you notice anything about the light around anyone?”

Aang thinks back to the memory, “I think so, both you and I had a sort of white light surrounding our figure while Ummi’s had almost a black light shown through them, maybe a dark green light around her?”

Kuruk smiles sadly, “Yes, my Ummi did have that light around her.” His eyes drift to a sleeping Toph in the living world, before pulling himself back to Aang. “The colors you saw around me and Ummi represent our souls. Every person has a unique, signature color or aura that their soul shines. Since we share a soul, we both have that bright white shine around us."

The waterbender thinks about all he has learned from his past lives in the spirit world and his research in Wong Si Tong's library over the years. “Something I’ve learned over the years being in the spirit world is that certain souls can meet multiple times in multiple lifetimes. Some souls are even connected together through multiple iterations of their reincarnated selves. Sometimes, souls pass between different times and worlds.”

Aang tilts his head in interest. “So, you’re saying that someone people in your life, Kyoshi’s life, Yangchen’s life and all the Avatar’s before us could have interacted with our souls before?” the airbender asks, forgetting about the ‘other world’ part of Kuruk’s talk.

Kuruk nods his head, “Yes, it rarely happens, but when it does, events have a way of repeating itself in a way. Though the reunion of souls can be beautiful, the mistakes of the past can creep its way to the present bodies the connected souls possess.” Aang hears a bit of warning in the background of this statement, but cannot make the connection Kuruk hopes he would make, yet.

The waterbender looks up towards the waxing gibbous moon to tell the time and realizes his connection is almost gone for the day. His eyes move back to the airbender in front of him. “It seems my connection for tonight is almost gone. Come back tomorrow after the summit ends with Toph, and we’ll continue this conversation.”

Aang looks at his past self, alarmed that he hadn’t learned what he needed to help Kuruk with yet, but before he can voice his concerns, the water Avatar begins to speak.

“Many say that the eyes are the window to the soul. Before we meet tomorrow, ask your companions if you can stare into their eyes to see their souls. Try to memorize their souls. You may be surprised at what you see.”

“How do I see their soul?” Aang asks. 

“Focus on their energy. You’ll be able to see a light as you saw on and around me and Ummi, but through their eyes.” Kruk responds.

The waterbender looks back into the sky noting the position of the moon. “Our connection is about to break for the night, but do trust that I am leading you towards the issue at hand. Like life, you will have to discover some of the secrets of the world by yourself. But I trust that you’ll be able to figure it out, Aang.”

Kuruk’s figure starts to disappear, similar to the previous night. Before he completely disappears, the water Avatar gives one last piece of advice, “For Toph, it may be a matter of heart to see her soul.”  
*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter isn't the best and can be a bit choppy in some places, but I kind of wanted it to be that way. Also, it's hard for me to figure out some of the tenses when referring to things that happened in a previous chapter, but also writing in the present tense, so if that's confusing, sorry! I'm working it 😅
> 
> We don't always get to know the complete picture of things and I wanted it to feel like Kuruk, himself was still trying to piece together all the elements of what is to come as Aang also pieces it together. 
> 
> Well, I hope you liked it. I promise Toph and her dreams will be back in the next chapter. As well as some awkward eye contact between Aang and members of the gaang.


	5. True Colors

Aang’s eyes flutter open back to the physical world, his gaze immediately landing on a sleeping Toph, laying in the grass. He then looks at the moon’s position realizing how late it is.

The Avatar walks toward his slumbering earthbending master to wake her up, but Kuruk’s last piece of advice stops him. Instead of shaking her awake, he places his hand on her chest to listen to her steady heartbeat. He then closes his eyes to focuses on her energy, like Kuruk suggested, to see if he could see her soul.

For a moment, nothing happens. There’s no spark or change that he sees in his inner eye. All he senses is the bright color of his own soul.

The airbender opens his eyes in frustration only to see a dark green, almost black, light outlining Toph’s figure. Aang gazes at his friend in amazement. The feeling her soul gives out is so familiar, yet Aang can’t place where he’s seen it before. He takes this time to memorize the feeling and look of her soul.

When looking closer, he can see other colors faintly mixed in but overpowered by the dark, subdued colors of her soul. He focuses on a faint red fighting its way through the black. He feels a sense of passion and love radiate from it, almost speaking to his soul and only his soul.

Aang allows their souls to communicate in a way he doesn’t completely understand. But what he does decipher is that their souls have met before. Many times before. The conversation between their souls settles down, and the Spirit Oasis comes back into the airbender’s periphery. All the colors of Toph and his souls disappear before his eyes, and Toph’s peaceful face replaces it.

The Avatar smiles as he tucks his arms under her knees and behind her back, carrying his traveling partner back to their hotel room after securing her warm clothing around her.

\--

_Toph is standing in the Earth Rumble 6 arena as her twelve-year-old self again after defeating The Boulder. The crowd cheers as her lips break into a lopsided grin, and she pumps her fist above her head._

_Xin Fu asks for people in the audience if anyone dares to challenge the Blind Bandit. For a second, nobody responds, but suddenly light feet enter the arena. Those light feet are footsteps she’s now memorized anywhere._

_Before the memory continues, Toph feels a hand press against her chest and the arena melts away, but those light footsteps stay. She realizes that she and the owner’s footsteps are the only things present in her dream._

_Suddenly, a piercingly bright light appears, and her eyes adjust to an unknown scene in front of her. Buildings made of ice and snow surround her. A tall man with tanned skin wearing strange furry warrior attire stands next to her laughing at something she had just said._

_She feels herself reach for the man’s cheek and pulling on it while laughing in a tone unfamiliar to her own. A sweet sound comes out from her mouth, “Come on, Kuruk. What’s really got your wolftail in a twist?”_

_Kuruk? Like Avatar Kuruk?_

_Toph continues to watch the scene play out in the body of whoever Kuruk is talking to, confused by who she is, where she is, and what she’s seeing._

_“I think you know, Ummi. Go on a date with me!” Kuruk bellows. “We’ve been doing this dance for weeks now! I know you enjoy my company, so why not just continue enjoying it at a restaurant. You never know, you may even take pleasure in a date.”_

_Toph feels her heartbeat quicken at the date proposal. “Sure,” she answers coolly._

_The man begins to argue before realizing she had said yes to the date. Kuruk pauses mid-sentence and pick-up her up, swinging her around while hooting in excitement._

_As she is spun around, the environment changes completely to a different place. It seems to be an indoor establishment made of wood. It’s cold in this place, too, but she’s wearing an unfamiliar ratty jacket that barely keeps her warm._

_Her eyes focus on the candle’s warmth and holds her hands up to it when she hears a light voice say, “Come home with me,” to her. Her head turns to see a handsome, tall man holding some sort of ripped paper, in the shape of a flower, out to her. His face wearing a kind smile at her._

_Toph (or the woman Toph's inside of) scoffs, “Who are you?”_

_“The man who’s going to marry you!” The man looks towards a man with feathered wings on his jacket for reassurance before introducing himself, “I’m Orpheus.”_

_She turns towards the winged man and asks, “Is he always like this?” [1]_

_Before she gets an answer, the room shifts into darkness. Suddenly, Toph can see the way she normally does again. Aang’s light feet standing next to her. They are in a room full of people dancing to the music._

_“Come on, Toph! Dance with me!” Aang says with an extended hand._

_“Twinkle Toes, I tell you this at every event with dancing we go to, I don’t dance,” Toph responds beginning to walk away from the Avatar. Surprisingly, he grabs her hand and spins her onto the dancefloor. The song changes to a slow one._

_Aang brings Toph’s arms around his neck and circles her waist with his long limbs, pulling her close. The pair sway to the music._

_“See? Now is this so bad?” she hears him whisper in her ear._

_Instead of saying anything, she rests her head on his chest and closes her eyes. She feels his heartbeat skip a beat. Her cheeks flush at the barely noticeable action. Toph is content in the arms of the Avatar._

_Toph’s eyes open, startled to see that she’s in a field, now, dancing with that handsome man named Orpheus. They seem to be celebrating summertime with other people and a woman in a green dress._

_Orpheus spins her around to the swing of the music. The energy is high as everyone is enjoying themselves. She can only seem to focus on Orpheus and his smile. The couple stares into each other’s eyes lovingly as the music continues._

_She’s dipped at the end of the song, but the dip becomes a fall, and the fall turns into a tug downwards. She is suddenly being pulled underwater, deeper and deeper. She barely hears the name Ummi being shouted towards her. Her hand reaches for where she thinks the shout came from. The oxygen in her lungs is depleting quickly and she starts seeing spots in her vision. The last thing she sees before being pulled into darkness is Kuruk reaching for her. He desperately tries to catch up with the force pulling her under, but even with his waterbending, it’s no match for the speed she’s being pulled down._

_She emerges taking a deep inhale, desperate for air, only to cough up water. Once she catches her breath, her eyes adjust to the darkness of a cave. There’s barely anything around her. Just darkness._

_Toph can tell she’s still in Ummi’s body because the dark is bothering her and she can’t sense anything around her with earthbender._

_All she hears are millions of tapping sounds echo through the cave. She looks around, desperate to find a way out. Panic starts to rise as she frantically looks for the exit._

_Suddenly, a face meets hers. It’s painted white with grey circles on the eyes and dark red lips creepily twitch up in a clownish smile._

_Not knowing that changing her facial expression would be her downfall, her brows furrow. An eerie voice echoes in her ears, “That was easier than I thought,” as an immense pain comes over her face, almost like her features are being ripped off. She touches her face to find that her eyes are gone. She frantically feels the rest of her face devastated to feel only her smooth skin and nothing else._

_Her face has been stolen._

_She hears her own voice talking to her, “Such a beautiful face to add to my collection. What a pity that you happened to have fallen in love with the Avatar.” Her laughter morphs into the creature’s laugh. Emotion comes over her as her featureless face tries to cry into her hands._

\--

Toph jolts up in a pool of cold sweat. The earthbender reaches for her face panicked. Thankfully her finger makes contact with her button-like nose and lips. As she catches her breath, Toph realizes she’s no longer in the Spirit Oasis, but on her bed in the hotel. She feels around for Aang’s body but finds the bed empty.

The sound of water being spat into the sink comes from the bathroom. They must have just gotten back to their room.

Aang walks out of the bathroom surprised that Toph is awake. “Oh, hey, Toph!” Aang greets, “Wasn’t expecting you to be up so soon. Did I wake you with the running water?”

“Uhh, no. I just have a weird dream,” she replies.

The airbender climbs into the bed next to her looking concerned. “Must have been some dream. You’re drenched in sweat! Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, no, I’m good,” Toph says laying down. The two lay in bed side by side, no part of them touching.

Silence grows between the two until she breaks, “I had a dream that my face was stolen.”

Aang’s eyes widen. He rolls onto his side to look at his companion. “What do you mean?” he asks, prompting her to continue.

She flips over to meet Aang’s gaze, furrowing her brows for a second before remembering that’s what she was doing right before losing her face. “Well, I wasn’t me. I was someone else, but I just remember seeing this creepy face in front of me. I frowned, and then I couldn’t see anything. I reached for my eyes, but… but felt nothing. All I felt was smooth skin all over my face. Everything was gone… my eyes, my nose, my lips.”

She pauses and shutters, “Then I heard my own voice talking to me. Something about a collection? After that, I woke up.”

The Avatar frowns. He knows exactly who that was. Koh. Strange that he is showing up in Toph’s dreams right after Kuruk had shown Ummi being dragged to the underworld by Koh.

The pair sit in silence, listening to each other’s breath, deep in thought about Toph’s dream.

The earthbender shakes her head and asks, “So what did that Avatar spirit want to talk to you about?”

Aang’s eyes focus on his best friend. “Oh… well he didn’t really tell me. He said that I have to figure it out on my own because being the Avatar isn’t hard enough without riddles." Aang rolls his eyes. "But he showed me some of his memories of the love of his life, Ummi, and how they grew to love each other. I’m still not sure why he showed me those memories, but it’s got something to do with the soul. He wants me to look at our friends’ souls tomorrow before meeting again.”

Toph’s head tilts against the pillow intrigued. “How do you look at other people’s souls?”

“Uhh… Well, Kuruk says the eyes are the window to the soul, so I think I’m going to try gazing into everyone’s eyes tomorrow and see if I can connect to their souls,” Aang responds.

“Will that work with me?" she pauses, "Since I’m blind?” Toph whisperes.

“No,” Aang says pulling her petite body into his chest, “I may have already looked at your soul while you were sleeping…”

Before Toph can say anything, he continues, “Since you’re blind, Kuruk suggested connecting to your heart. When I came back from the Spirit World you were asleep, so I tried putting my hand on your heart and focus on your being. I saw your soul and studied it. It’s beautiful like you are…” Aang looks down at the woman he is now cuddling with.

Though it’s nighttime, the waxing moon provided enough light for Aang to see Toph blushing. Moments of intimacy like this started seven or eight years ago when they first started sharing a room. These moments increased as the years went on, but neither of them ever acknowledged their obvious feelings toward the other.

Toph nuzzles her head into his neck and tucks her arms between their chests as the two enjoy the quiet companionship.

Aang stays awake thinking about Toph’s soul. It’s dark color with hints of bright colors trying to shine through. He doesn’t know how long he thinks about Toph and her soul, but it was long enough for the earthbender to fall asleep in his arms.

The airbender pulls her closer inhaling her scent as he drifts off.

\--

The rest of the group is reluctant to let Aang gaze into their souls but ultimately lets him try it. Each member of the team goes to a separate room with Aang for the task while the rest enjoy their lunch off from the summit.

Katara offers to go first since they have always been the closest. The two sit across from each other cross-legged staring into each other’s eyes. Aang focuses on his waterbending master’s energy, then focuses from her eyes to her form.

Colors appear around her. Light blue floats around her body, with spots of light pink, light purple, and red peeking through the ocean of blue. He smiles at the nurturing and calming auras radiating off of Katara. The two sit in cosmic energy being released for a few minutes until Aang memorizes her soul.

Sokka is the next to come in. He sits down in the same seat Katara previously sat in and looks into Aang’s eyes. A few seconds pass before Sokka nervously laughs. Aang sends his friend a frown.

“Come on Sokka! You know this is more than just staring into each other’s eyes. This is a spiritual thing that Avatar Kuruk wanted me to master by the end of today,” Aang whines.

Sokka pouts, “Fine, do your spirity mumbo jumbo fast though, so we don’t have to stare into each other’s eyes for too long.”

The two resume their stare contest as Aang focuses on Sokka’s spiritual energy. The Water Tribesman’s soul’s appearance surprises the Avatar. Orange is the first color to appear, then spots of bright pink fill in some of the spaces. The last color to show up is a deep blue. The blue captures Aang’s attention as if it’s calling to him. He feels the trust between their two souls build as he gazes at the blue pockets of Sokka’s soul. As he looks at the other colors, he feels the playfulness and creativity of his friend’s soul pour out.

Once he’s sure he memorized Sokka’s soul, he breaks eye contact with him. Sokka’s eyes widen realizing they are done and stands up to leave. Before he goes to get Zuko, Aang calls out, “Sokka. I think we’ve known each other in a past life. You were like a big brother to be then, too.”

The older man smiles at the airbender, “I’m sure we were, buddy,” and leaves to get Zuko.

Zuko now takes the place of Sokka on the cushion across from Aang. The two were accustomed to sitting in silence like this from when Zuko trained Aang in firebending. The process of connecting to Zuko’s soul is quick, quicker than expected.

The Fire Lord’s soul looks similar to Toph’s in that it is mostly black, but instead of green, the firebender’s soul had a deep red overtone, expressing his passion for everything he puts his mind to. Small golden flecks appear in the darkness, almost twinkling like stars in his soul. For some reason, Aang knew that Zuko’s past lives have always been in a seat of power or wealth from the golden flecks. The last color he notices is a royal purple that flickers in and out of the darkness.

The two break eye contact, as is Zuko also memorized Aang’s soul. “I’ve got to say, Sifu Hotman, you’ve got one complex soul.”

The firebender rolls his eyes, “So do you.” The two sit for a second. “Do you want me to get Suki in here?”

Aang nods, “Thanks for letting me look into your soul!”

Suki is the last of the group to sit in the spot across from Aang. “What do you need me to do?” she asks.

“Oh. Just let me look into your eyes and focus on your spiritual energy. I’ll break eye contact with you once I’m done,” Aang smiles.

A bit fatigued, Aang connects with Suki, honing in on her aura. Eventually, he breaks through and sees her soul come through. A mixture of light blue and teal swirls around with stripes of amber and brown going through them. She has a very unique soul, one though he’s not sure if he’s met. She seems familiar, but Aang can’t figure out how he’s seen it before.

The two walk out of the private room to join the rest of the group beaming from their success.

“So,” Toph asks, “You memorize everyone’s souls?”

Aang nods, “I think I have, but there’s only one way to find out.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm sorry for the delayed update. My life has been hectic with work, classes, and meetings upon meetings with tons of people.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Aang explores everyone's souls. I tried matching the color means to their personalities and lifestyles, so if colors don't seem to make sense look up color meanings for some insight. 
> 
> Sorry if Toph's dreams are a bit disorienting, but wanted them to be because she barely has the time to register them all before scenes switch.
> 
> [1] At the beginning of the Hadestown song, "Come Home with Me"


	6. Let the Past Speak

Toph and Aang make their way to the Spirit Oasis, again, after a long day of world peace meetings. Toph pulls Aang across the bridge with her to the grassy island and immediately strips off her winter layers. She falls onto the grass taking the mighty Avatar down with her, who barely catches himself from squishing the earthbender below him. 

During the process of discarding her winter coats and shoes, Toph’s hair is pulled out of its signature bun. Her hair lays messily sprawled out across the grass. The pair laugh at their childlike behavior, clutching onto each other in a weak attempt to stabilize themselves. Their laughter stops as Aang gently pushes a piece of hair off her face. They relish in their private intimate moment before realizing the position they are in. 

Aang pulls his earthbending master up with him and looks away as he blushes; not that it matters. He scratches the back of his head embarrassed, “I’m going to meditate over here and see if I can get in touch with Avatar Kuruk, again.”

Toph nods her head as she settles down against the beam of the gate. 

Aang only has to meditate for a moment before Avatar Kuruk appears cross-legged in front of him. 

“Hello, Avatar Aang,” the water Avatar greets, “I see Toph has accompanied you again. How did soul searching go?”

“I think I did pretty well, I connected with all of my friends’ souls. It was strange, I felt like my soul had met some of their souls before, but I don’t know where,” Aang says.

Kuruk smiles, “This is good! Now hold onto your memories of their souls. I want to take you back to one of my memories and see if you notice anything… familiar about them.”

The air nomad nods and the two meditate back to the spirit world. He sees that they are back at the scene where Kuruk first meets Ummi. As they begin to see young Kuruk and Ummi meet, spirit Kuruk says, “Ok, so let’s see if you can focus on my, or our, spiritual energy and Ummi’s. Tell me what you see.”

Aang focuses in on the pair. Being in the spirit world allowed Aang to not have to use eye contact for a burst of colors to come out. He first sees his bright white light of a soul appear. The next thing he sees surprises him. The familiar black and dark green aura come off from Ummi. The unmistakable splash of red comes through the dark and it clicks in his mind. Ummi and Toph share a soul. The Avatar soul and Toph’s soul were lovers in this life.

Aang looks at Kuruk in amazement.

“I know,” is all the water Avatar responds. “Ummi and Toph share a soul. We’ve met her in a past life, actually in multiple past lives, and have fallen in love with her every time. It’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen to soulmates.”

Aang tilts his head to the side, confused. “Fallen in love? I haven’t fallen in love with Toph. We’re best friends,” he said, trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince Kuruk. 

Kuruk throws his hands up, “Don’t worry about the whole falling in love thing, kid. All I’m saying is that our soul and her soul have found each other over many lives. Honestly, I suspect Rangi, Kyoshi’s life partner, also shared a soul with Ummi and Toph, but just because our souls have fallen in love with Ummi and Toph’s soul in the past doesn’t mean it will happen to you. Though would it be so bad if you did fall in love with her?”

Their spirits came back down to the Spirit Oasis. He looks around for Toph to see a rare sight, her meditating under the arc. His face softens as he looks at her more, thinking back on all the fond memories they’ve made together. 

Suddenly, his vision flasks back to the swamp where he first had a vision of her. He hears her laughter as if he actually there chasing her figure. He then hears Huu’s voice echo around him, “we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved, folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to them. Time is an illusion and so is death.”

Toph’s giggling twelve-year-old face appears in his mind’s eye from that memory. When Aang opens his eyes again, he sees Kuruk staring at him, intrigued by what he saw.

“What did you remember, kid?” Kuruk asks.

Aang’s brow furrows, “I was taken back for a second from the first time a saw Toph. It was in a vision in a swamp. I didn’t know what she was at the time, but I saw her. She kept giggling and looking back to make sure I followed her and then running away. When I was reunited with Sokka and Katara they mentioned seeing visions of their loved ones who passed away. I always thought it was strange to I saw someone I didn’t know.” He pauses thinking more about the revelation and how to explain it to Kuruk.

“We met a waterbender named Huu, and he explained that we see those who have loved and lost in the swamp. But since I had never met her before, I didn’t understand… but I think I do now. I saw Toph there because my soul loved her soul in as you say many past lives, but I saw her in her current form, someone I’d never met. Maybe it was a sign that I would fall in love with her and lose her? But how would I lose her?”

The young Avatar looks back at Kuruk for guidance. “I don’t know how you would lose her, but I have a feeling you two would fall in love with each other if you let yourselves. What I’ve learned during my time in the spirit world is that some souls are tied to one another. As hard as the universe may try to split some souls up, they will always find each other again and again. I believe our soul is tethered to Toph and Ummi’s shared soul. Ummi and I lived on opposite ends of the earth but still found each other. You were born 100 years before Toph was, yet here you two are, best friends and traveling companions.”

Aang thinks about what his past self said about love and being tethered to another’s soul, “Should I ask Toph out then?” Aang asks.

Kuruk smiles, “I won’t tell you what to do, but I’ll tell you what I know about the history of our souls; every time our soul meets Toph and Ummi’s soul, they become lovers. I’ve looked at our many past lives and I’ve found our two souls together have fallen in love every single time. Again, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if you two fell in love.”

Aang nods at his wisdom. Both he and Kuruk feel that the connection to talk ending rapidly so they bid each other farewell for the day, until tomorrow when they would meet again.

As Aang hones in on the physical surroundings of the Spirit Oasis, he hears light breathing to his left side. He looks over only to see Toph sitting in a lotus position meditating next to him. He smiles at her form. His smile then turns into a smirk realizing he wants to test how much of the world she’s really blocked out. 

He makes a move to poke Toph’s arm only the hear her say, “Don’t even think about it, Twinkle Toes.” He slumps back down next to her and decides to meditate on the conversation he had with Kuruk since Toph didn’t come out of her meditative state. 

Should he ask Toph out? Would it ruin their friendship? Or start a beautiful, loving relationship? He thinks about how their friendship has evolved over time from her being the tiny loud-mouthed twelve-year-old prodigy to the beautiful woman he knows today. While Toph is still brash and loud, she let her guard down around Aang, showing him a vulnerability that he doesn’t believe any other person has witnessed besides himself. 

He then thinks about all the increasing number of intimate moments they’ve had together. The almost kisses and semi-romantic evenings they’ve had together. Why had they never kissed? He thought. Most times, one of them would break the moment because they became aware of the position they were in. 

He opens his eyes again to peak at Toph’s form, taking in the beauty he hadn’t paid enough attention to in the past. He first looked at her face. She still had milky white skin even though they spend so much time in the sun. Her nose is small and button-shaped while her lips are pink and plump. Her lashes are long and curl up in a light semicircle. 

Next, he looks at her hair. She never put it back in its signature bun, presenting a different appearance that only Aang usually witnesses. Aang had never taken much thought into her looks or hair until now. Her long tendrils of hair flow down her back and touch the ground from its long length. Pieces of her hair fly through the air from the light breeze and her bangs are actually pinned away from her face thanks to her headband. 

Then, he takes in Toph’s womanly figure that he had taken little interest in, in the past. Her now hourglass figure is a complete transformation from her boyish figure from when he first met her. 

As he absorbs Toph’s form, Aang realizes that this is the first time he’s truly seeing his companion for how she is now. Even though the two benders have been traveling together for the past thirteen years, Aang’s image of Toph was the twelve-year-old girl who ran away to teach him earthbending. Now, his image of her is the strong beautiful woman meditating next to him. 

She’s beautiful. Aang’s heartbeat picks up as he continues to gaze at her. He closes his eyes to imagine how life would change if they were together, the future they could live as a family with kids. A smile appears on his face he lets his thought run wild.

Toph’s voice catches him off guard, “Why is your heart beating so fast, Twinkle Toes?” 

Aang opens his eyes only to see Toph’s pale green ones seeming to pierce his gray ones, mesmerizing him. For eyes that can’t see, her worry is evident in her eyes. 

A flick accompanied with a “Hello?” broke his trance, again.

“Oh, I’m fine Toph, I’m just thinking about… uhh… the stuff Kuruk and I talked about,” Aang stutters, knowing he’s going to be called out for lying so badly.

“Oh, come on, Aang, you could at least try a bit harder to lie about what you’re thinking about,” Tophs say, rolling her eyes.

He sighs, “Fine, I was thinking about the future.”

He watches Toph read his heart patterns as she nods in approval. “What about the future?” she asks.

“Well… uhh- the future of us…” he stutters. 

Her brow furrows in confusion, “Us? What us is there to think about?”

Aang groans. So, we’re talking about this now then. “I mean there is an us because we’ve been traveling together for years now. I’m thinking about questions like, will you continue to travel with me? For how long? Willweeverbetogetherasmorethanfriends? Doyouloveme? Willyouloveme? Will you ever become a full vegetarian since the only time you eat meat now is when we’re in a town? You may say no, but I see you eating less and less meat every time we eat out. Where are we going to go for our next vacation? Willwehaveafamilytogether? When are we visiting your parents again? When did you learn how to cook? And why is it better than the food I make? Will you teach me how to cook as well as you?” Aang takes a deep inhale because asked all those questions quickly and in one breath in hopes Toph couldn’t understand the intimate and relationship-based questions.

“You know,” he smiles innocently, “Things like that.” 

Toph shakes her head and backs up from Aang, overwhelmed by all his questions. She’s so overwhelmed, she almost falls backward into the water gasping in surprise. Luckily, Aang catches her and flips their bodies so he lands on the ground, with Toph on top of him.

Her hair sprawls out creating a blanket of hair blocking the airbender’s sight from anything but her. Both breathe heavily as they recover from the fall. Aang looks up at the woman who has loved him throughout many lifetimes and who he’s loved during those same lives. He gently caressed her cheek and surprisingly she leans into his hand. 

Before he realizes what he’s doing, he pulls her face to his, locking their lips together with a soft kiss. 

Toph automatically responds to the kiss, not really registering that it’s Aang she’s kissing. Some mysterious little voice tells her that this is right. Kissing this man is what is supposed to happen. All her senses seem to disappear as she kisses the person beneath her with passion, the same amount that he’s giving back to her. 

Their lips hungrily move together as if they have been deprived of each other’s presence for lifetimes. Both parties in pure bliss at the reunion of kissing their other half.

As Aang rolls Toph onto her back, her lips pause. 

Being connected to earth seems to have cleared Toph’s mind of the fog of voices pushing her to be intimate with Aang. She is now very aware of the situation they’re in. Aang’s lips moving in sync with her own for a few more seconds before she places a hand in his chest to push him off.

Both separate and catch their breath from their impromptu passionate make-out session, not knowing what to say to each other.  
*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things be heating up in this story now! A Taang kiss has finally made it into the story. Be prepared for the next chapter to bridge our way into the Hadestown world/memories. 
> 
> Also, I've got the whole story figured out except the ending now, would you rather have a happy ending or a sad one? Or I can do a pick your story and write both and you choose which one you want to read. Honestly, I'll probably write both and let you read both lol.


	7. Our First Lifetime

Toph attempts to stomp back to the hotel, only to have Aang herd her away from the ice-cold canals. She doesn’t know why she’s angry with the Avatar, but she is. He kissed her! And she enjoyed it AND kissed him back! How dare he mess with her already conflicting emotions she had towards him. 

“Toph, come on! Just let me walk with you until we get to our room, so you don’t accidentally fall into the water.” Aang calls out. 

She huffs, knowing that it would be best to just let him lead her to their room, but she attempts to find her own way one more time before giving up. As predicted, Aang wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her back on the ground before she hits the water.

With a loud groan, she agrees to let Aang lead the rest of the way. They walk in awkward silence until they enter their room, tension building with each step.

Once they reach their room, Aang breaks their silent streak, “Ok, why are you mad at me?” He gives Toph a pointed look that he knows she can feel even if she can’t see it.

“You kissed me!” She hissed.

He rolls his eyes, “Yeah, I did, and it kind of seemed like you enjoyed it. I know I liked kissing you.”

Toph stutters, “i- i- well… yeah I liked it, but why did you do it?! That was so out of nowhere!”

“Out of nowhere?” Aang repeated her question, “Toph, we’ve been traveling together for years now. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed our rapidly increasing almost kisses and intimate moments these past few years. We always somehow end up close to kissing, but one of us always pulled away from the other. I wanted to kiss you, Toph. I wanted to see if the feelings I know have been building up inside of me are mutual. And based on the result, I think it is.”

Toph’s mouth opens then closes, only to open again like a koi fish. She sits at the foot of the bed, trying to comprehend all of the airbender’s emotions. “But why now?” she asks, trying to avoid answering Aang’s unasked question hanging in the air.

He sighs and takes a seat next to her. “Talking to Avatar Kuruk today, I learned that our souls have met in a lot of our past lives. Our souls seem to be bound or tied together in a rare way… Kuruk said that in every past life that we’ve known each other, our two souls have fallen in love with one another.” 

Toph changes into her sleepwear and crawls under the covers as Aang continues to talk.

He chuckles lightly, “I told Kuruk that we hadn’t fallen in love with each other as all of our past lives did. But he said that we may not fall in love, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing if we did. 

“When I came back from the spirit world, you were meditating, and I didn’t want to disturb you. So, I meditated on his advice. I also reflected on our relationship over the ten-plus years we’ve known each other, and I noticed that we had grown closer, especially over the past five years with sharing a bed and finding ourselves in intimate positions more often. 

“Without realizing it, I think I fell in love with you. You’re my rock, my confidant. I honestly don’t know where I would be without you. 

“So, I guess tonight, when you landed on top of me, I wanted to quench my curiosity, so I kissed you. And it felt amazing like we had finally been reunited.”

Aang takes his place in bed next to Toph’s body waiting for her response. When she doesn’t respond, he worries she fell asleep during his declaration of love. At this, he rolls over, their faces turned away from each other, and sighs, closing his eyes, hurt.

Toph was very much awake during his monologue, but she doesn’t know how to react or respond to his declaration. So, she stays silent waiting for him to fall asleep before saying anything.

Once she thinks he’s asleep, it’s difficult to tell on a bed, she softly says, “I feel the same way,” and drifts off to sleep believing her secret is safe with her.

Aang, however, heard her confession. Not wanting to give it away that he heard her, he stays still, smiling on the other side of the bed until he too is pulled into a peaceful sleep.  
\--  
Despite Aang’s manifesto of love and Toph’s supposed dismissal of the topic, the pair acted as they normally do throughout the third day of the summit. They proceed to visit the Spirit Oasis together that evening, so Aang can continue to learn what Avatar Kuruk needs and Toph can see for a few hours.

The two trek through a new layer of snow on the ground towards the Spirit Oasis. Toph’s short legs make it hard to walk, so Aang carries her in his arms, warming his body so the heat would transfer to Toph’s. Neither says a word to each other not knowing whether to ignore the sexual tension that had been building up throughout the day or to talk about it.

Once they made it to the door, the airbender placed her down so they could fit through the door. No snow had fallen in the oasis, thankfully for Toph. She walks across the right bridge as Aang takes the left, hoping that physical space would relieve some of the stress. 

As they meet again at the scene of the crime, both of their cheeks flush and they look anywhere but at the other. 

“Uh… I’m going to meet Avatar Kuruk in the spirit world…” he looks at the earthbender, “I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that this will be a long talk, tonight. Will you be alright waiting and staying here by yourself?”

Her lips slightly turn up at Aang’s concern for her, “Don’t worry Twinkle Toes, I’ll wait for you.” She goes to the gate and peels her winter clothes off revealing a long dark green dress with a pale-yellow sash tied tightly around her waist. She then slays down on the grass and ‘stares’ into the sky.

Aang stares at her relaxed form, yearning to pull her into his chest and kiss her again. Instead, he sits down in his normal spot and meditates into the spirit world. Avatar Kuruk appears across from him like in previous days. 

“So… What are we doing today?” Aang asks.

“Well, I think I found the first time our souls met… and set a precedent for how our love stories ended or will end… It’s actually in a different world before an Avatar existed, and I think it’ll help you figure out what you need to understand why I’m here asking for your help,” Kuruk says.

“Oh alright. Let’s go then,” Aang replies.

The surroundings swirled and the two Avatars are thrust forward into a colosseum filled with glowing men and women in white robes. An empty stage waiting to be used was at the bottom of the structure.

Aang looks at everyone confused, “Where are we?”

“This is a place called Ancient Greece. All of these people around us are Greek gods and goddesses. Normal people pray to them for good fortune, love, water for the crops, and well pretty much everything,” Kuruk says.

A man with wings on the back of his heels walked onto the stage waving at the crowd. A microphone magically appears in his hands as he asks the immortal beings to settle down.

“Hello, Gods and Goddesses!” he greets, “Now, today, we’re going to tell you a story you’ve all heard many times before. It’s an old one.” He smiles charismatically at the crowd. “Now, can anyone guess the story for today?”

Gods and goddesses shout out different names, but the winged man doesn’t give anything away. Once the crowd died out, he says, “This is the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice!”

Aang looks at Kuruk as the two names resonate with him for some reason, “Were we Orpheus in a past life?” 

“Actually, that was our first life, kid,” Kuruk says watching the god magically create some sort of screen showing an indoor space with tables and chairs spread around. People dressing in ragged coats and winter clothes walked around and drank together.

“What is that place?” Aang asks. He looks at the winged man trying to figure out why he looks so familiar. 

Kuruk shrugs, “They change the time and place every time, so who really knows. They tell our story a lot though.”

Music starts to play, and the winged man begins to sing, “Once upon a time, there was a railroad line. Don’t ask where brother don’t ask why. It was the road to Hell, it was hard times.” The god looks out into the crowd and points at a couple of individuals, “We got some gods in the house tonight, let introduce you to a few of them…”

The god introduces three identical-looking women to the audience as the Fates, as he continued with his song. Then the three women he just sang about appear on the stage and take a bow.

The crowd gives rowdy applause to the women as they step into the screen. Aang now focuses on the women. Their auras felt familiar to him too, but like the winged man, he couldn’t put his finger on it. 

The winged man continues to introduce the characters through song. He describes a lady with a suitcase full summertime, and like before, a woman called Persephone steps onto the stage and takes a bow in a sleek green dress and a suitcase in her. 

Aang feels the motherly aura of Persephone’s soul, something he felt while looking at Katara’s soul. He sits up and tries to hone in on her energy. The distinct light blue color floats around the goddess of Spring’s body with light pinks, light purples, and reds popping through. Aang automatically recognizes Persephone’s soul as Katara’s. The colors around her disappear and he’s back watching the performance.

The winged man continues on with the introductions. A regal man, named Hades, in a suit steps onto the stage next to Persephone and waves to the crowd, refined. Aang immediately sees Zuko’s soul in this Hades god. Aang does a double-take at the two gods standing in front of him flashes into Katara and Zuko smiling next to each other and immediately changes back to their normal god forms. Both of the gods follow the Fates’ suit and step into the screen and take their place in the room.

The winged man looks out into the crowd and asks, “Do we got any other gods in the story? Oh right almost forgot:

“On the road to Hell there was a railroad station, and a man with feathers on his feet,” he sings. “Who can help you to your final destination, Mr. Hermes, that’s me!” The crowd gives him thunderous applause. Aang suddenly sees Sokka in the winged man’s place bowing for the crowd, before he too turns back into Hermes. 

Aang looks at Kuruk and back at the stage, “Are you seeing this?” he asks his past life.

Kuruk tilts his head to the side, “See what? They’re just introducing themselves. They do this every time they tell this story even though everyone already knows who they are. We get it, you’re the god of death, let’s move on.”

“No, no. All of them, except the Fates, are my friends’ souls! Katara is Persephone, Zuko is Hades, and Hermes is Sokka. My whole group must have known each other in this life.” Aang exclaims. 

“Wait, what?” Kuruk questions. “That’s never been heard of, all of the Avatar’s companions interacting in the same lifetime twice, the odds are next to impossible.” 

“Really?” Aang asks. He stares harder at the Fates who have been feeling familiar, too. Suddenly they’re forms turn into Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai and back to the identical women. “Kuruk! It just happened again. The Fates are Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee! I’ve never seen any of their souls, but suddenly I saw them there instead of the Fates.”

The water Avatar looks worried at the air Avatar. This is unprecedented. Kuruk had a chance to stop history from repeating itself again when he was alive with Ummi, but it ended in a tragic way, much like their very first lives together, but with so many of the same souls reconnecting in the present time, a showdown was definitely about to happen. 

Before Kuruk could warn Aang about his realization, Aang’s spirit had disappeared. Hermes had just introduced Orpheus to the crowd and his spirit must have gotten sucked in the screen. Kuruk just watches the screen waiting for Aang to come back.  
\--  
Aang blacked out and wakes up in the bar that he saw on the misty screen. He looks around trying to figure out how he had been pulled into the mist. For whatever reason, he starts to walk around, waiting tables when his eyes land on a beautiful woman with bangs and black hair that almost reaches her shoulders. She pulls the coat around her to keep the heat in. Her form turns into Toph, and he attempts to run towards her only to find that he doesn’t have control of whoever's body he landed in. 

Hermes shows up next to him, and asks, “You wanna talk to her?” Aang looks at the winged man in a sleek suit.

He hears himself say, “Yes,” in a dreamy voice. 

“Go on,” he says, flicking his hand towards the woman. Hermes calls out to him, “Orpheus.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t come on too strong,” the winged god advises.

Quickly, Orpheus makes takes a sheet of paper and bends it into a makeshift flower. Nervously, he walks up to the woman trying to stay warm holding a candle, and says, “Come home with me,” confidently thrusting the paper flower towards her.

Aang, watching from within Orpheus’s body, cringes at his forwardness, as Hermes does a few feet away.

The petite woman eyes him suspiciously, “Who are you?” she asks.

An optimistic grin appears on Orpheus’s face as he says, “The man who’s gonna marry you, I’m Orpheus.”

The girl looks towards Hermes and asks, “Is he always like this?” Hermes simply nods. She hesitates before introducing herself, “I’m Eurydice.”

The scene freezes and suddenly, Eurydice’s body morphs into Toph’s again, her long locks of hair tumbling down her back. Hermes turns into Sokka, and he feels Orpheus’s hair disappear, hinting that he is now himself. Each of them still wearing their past lives’ clothing. Aang tried to control his body, but the story continued on, taking the Avatar captive in his own body. All he could do is let the story control his every move, walking him through his first life up close and personal. 

He hears himself singing, “Your name is like a melody.”

“So, you’re a singer? Is that what you are,” Eurydice asks him. 

Somehow, Aang knows his whole backstory as Orpheus. How he’s a son of a muse and a gifted poet and musician. Hermes, or Sokka, has been mentoring him for a long time. How the seasons have been messed up for a while. But he doesn’t know his own love story, yet.

“I also play the lyre,” Orpheus says.

She rolls her eyes, “Oh, a liar and a player too.” She turns away from him, “I’ve met too many men like you.” 

He rushes toward her, “Oh no! I’m not like that.”

Hermes waltzes in to save the day, “He’s not like anyone you’ve met,” the well-dressed man assures her. Hermes changes his focus to him, “Tell her what you’re working on.”

Orpheus rushes to sit next to Eurydice and explains the song he’s been working on to bring Spring back.

Eurydice looks at him doubtfully, “When? I haven’t seen a Spring or Fall in… I don’t know how long.”

The musician tries to describe the song to the woman next to him. Explaining that he believes his song can bring the world back into tune. Sudden he hears himself say, “When you become my wife,” to Eurydice. Aang internally smacks his head at his past life’s directiveness. At least he wasn’t that direct when he first met Toph.

Eurydice looks at Hermes in understanding and says, “OH, he’s crazy.” Her brows scrunch together as she asks, “Why would I become his wife?”

In a very un-Sokka response, the god turned Sokka look-alike says, “because he can make you feel alive.”

Eurydice ponders that comment. She looks at him asks him, “What else you got?” Eurydice has always been a skeptical woman because of the many hardships in her life, so she questions Orpheus on how he will support them. She asks how they would afford things like wedding bands, a wedding table, and food.

Orpheus confidently answers the river and tree nymphs will help them out when he sings his song. Aang is in awe at the faith his past self had in what the future could look like.

After mulling Orpheus’s answers, Eurydice asks about the song he’s working again, wanting to ensure that Spring would come again before making any decisions.

In a dreamy voice, Orpheus answers yes.

“Sing it,” Eurydice requests.

Suddenly, shy at the thought of the woman of his dreams hearing his song, he quietly says, “It isn’t finished.”

Aang watches as Eurydice’s, in the form of Toph, lips turn up in her familiar mischievous smirk and counters with, “You wanna take me home?” He nods, “Then sing it,” she urges.

Orpheus takes a deep breath, before starting to sing a melody. All around them gold sparks fly across the sky and the air becomes warm like sunlight is breaking through the harsh, cold winter. As Aang’s past life sings, he watches Toph/Eurydice’s face light up in amazement at the spectacle coming from his singing. He looks down to see that a red flower has bloomed and picks it up to give to Eurydice.

Eurydice asks, “How did you do that?” inspecting the red carnation.

He shrugs, not knowing how it happened.

Encouraged by what she just witnessed, Eurydice flashes him an approving grin and asks about their wedding bed.

Orpheus, taking the hint that she’ll come home with him, responds with the birds will lay their feathers on the ground to create their bed. 

The two come together to seal the deal with a kiss. As he kisses Eurydice, Aang is shocked when he senses Toph’s spirit in Eurydice, trapped in her own past life like he is.  
\--  
In Sokka and Suki’s room, the two are gossiping about the tension between their groups of friends.

“I bet Zuko and Katara are dating,” Suki says, “I saw them sneaking to and from each other’s rooms a few times last night.”

Sokka makes a puking noise, “Eww, oogies. I don’t want to think about my baby sister dating Fire Lord jerkbender!” 

“Oh, come on Sokka, we both know that they’re perfect for each other. Katara keeps Zuko grounded, and he makes her happier than I’ve ever seen her.”

Sokka grumbles in begrudging agreement. “What tension are you talking about with Toph and Aang? They’re always close like that. Comes with the territory of being best friends for that long.”

“Didn’t you notice that they barely spoke to one enough today though?” Suki asks, “Something must have happened last night. My bet is that Aang professed his undying love to her, and she didn’t know how to handle it.”

The water tribesman laughs, “Funny!! There’s no way those two are together. They act like Katara and I, like siblings.”

The Kyoshi Warrior’s eyes lowered into a glare, “Oh yeah? Do siblings share rooms and beds together as adults?” She waits to see Sokka’s head shake, “Well Toph and Aang do. They have been for years! They’re sharing a room here. Not very sibling-like if you ask me.”

His mouth drops in shock, “Ok, ok, how about we make a bet out of this, if for some reason both Zuko and Katara are in love with each other AND Toph and Aang are in love with each other, then I will say yes to having a third kid. But if either of these pairings isn’t in love with each other, then you’re on night kid duty for the next two years.” He held his hand out for his wife to shake.

Suki, being a very intuitive person, weighed for options. Waking up in the middle of the night is the worst, but she gets another kid if she wins, she could take that risk. She grabs his hand and shakes, “Deal, but I also want to throw in that if I win, you’ll have to be on diaper duty for the third kid.”

Sokka nods his head in agreement. As he lets go though, he suddenly falls unconscious. Suki catches him before he hits the floor and lays him on their bed.

She shakes him frantically, calling his name to get him to wake up, but he doesn’t budge. Little does she know that his spirit transported to the same place Aang’s was.  
\--  
Elsewhere, the Fire Nation princess, the circus turned Kyoshi warrior, and the knife-wielding diplomat’s daughter all fell unconscious as Sokka did. Each of their spirits transported to a new world full of gods and goddesses.  
\--  
Back at the Spirit Oasis, Toph lays in the grass contemplating the kiss and Aang’s declaration of love to her from the previous night. The kiss was amazing. As if she had reconnected with something, she didn’t know she needed. A soft breeze brushed against her skin lulling her to sleep. As she drifted off, her spirit detached from her body flowing in the wind and back into her first life’s body.

As she wakes up, light pours into her normally sightless eyes. As her eyes adjust, the scene in front of her is the same location of a part of her dream she had a few nights ago. Orpheus introduces himself to her, but instead of it changing back to the snow-covered North Pole, the scene continues to play out. Orpheus’s form morphs into a taller person will bald hair, soft gray eyes, and an arrow tattoo on his forehead. Toph gasps as she discovers that the man now standing in front of her is Aang. 

She desperately tries to reach her hand out to him, but she isn’t in control of Eurydice’s body. Toph watches everything play out between them, or whoever Orpheus and Eurydice are, in Aang and her bodies.  
*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally made it to the first part of the Hadestown musical! 
> 
> A lot of the dialogue is from the first four songs in the album, so if you would like to hear what it actually sounds like, look on YouTube for the songs: "Road to Hell," "Any Way the Wind Blows," "Come Home with Me," and "Wedding Song". I tried paraphrasing what happened in the musical, so you wouldn't just get dialogue straight from the musical. I only quote pieces of the song that I found funny or I think are important to the plot.
> 
> For future chapters, all the Hadestown characters continue to look like the Avatar characters to Aang (and the other characters who somehow got sucked into the same situation Aang did), but I will be calling them by their Hadestown name, so you can get the contrast of when its the musical speaking vs. when Aang or the other characters are thinking to themselves.

**Author's Note:**

> I always enjoy comments, constructive or positive! 
> 
> Feel free to leave me a comment or two. I'd love to hear how I can improve/what I'm doing well at. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Hadestown.  
> I will try to put youtube links to the songs from Hadestown that I'm going use lyrics from, as well as where I find different poems from.


End file.
